MN State Fair On-A-Stick (Smartphone History On-The-Go)

The Minnesota State Fair kicked off last week and for the first time since 2007, I am writing my annual State Fair piece after attending the Fair. That means I can speak from the voice of experience (that, and the fact that I spent 11 solid hours tootling around the fairgrounds last Saturday). This year there are over 80 foods on-a-stick; I recommend the Teriyaki Chicken on-a-stick from Chan’s, a new vendor for 2011. Liz and I shared the combo and topped it off with The Original Minneapple Pie smothered in cinnamon ice cream.

In 2011, the Minnesota State Fair celebrates its 100th Fine Arts Exhibition (over 2300 pieces were submitted in 2010). In the past, I’ve written about the history of Princess Kay of the Milky Way and the Butter Queens (2011 marks the 40th year sculptor Linda Christensen has carved their likenesses out of butter); Minnesota State Fair poster artists; mascots Fairborne and Fairchild; and the tradition of Tom Thumb Donuts. To change it up this year, I’m going to focus on the integration of the Smartphone and digital technology into the State Fair’s 150-year-old traditions. When the past meets the present, you get a gleaming new Minnesota State Fair Smartphone App and the Minnesota State Fair History Tour on your mobile!

Minnesota State Fair Smartphone App & Mobile Web Site

I was thrilled to download the new Minnesota State Fair Smartphone app on my Droid this year (also available for iPhone) a week before I attended the Fair . All the information I needed was right at my fingertips. The Food Finder is organized alphabetically (or you can search by food item). When you click on a vendor, all details of that vendor are listed, including a Show Map feature that pins their exact location on the fairgrounds. Other tabs include Merch Search, Fun Finder, and a colorful digital map. We used the app constantly during our 11 hour visit. Oh, and if you don’t want to download the app, you can visit the Minnesota State Fair Mobile Website with Google Maps integration. I’m grateful to Liz for pointing me to the new app. If you have a Smartphone, I encourage you to go paperless!

Minnesota State Fair History Walk & Cell Phone Tour

Liz and I had a blast listening to sounds of the Minnesota State Fair’s past on the new 13-stop cell phone tour. By calling (877) 411-4123, you can hear recorded history narratives from your cell phone (or any land line), or use your Smartphone to locate QR codes, and brush up on State Fair trivia while you shuttle to the Fair’s gate. We downloaded a bar code scanner app on our Droids, scanned the QR code (Quick Response code for Smartphones) at each information board, and Whoosh!, we were jetted right to the history page for that stop. (If you press the Like button at the bottom, a link is also added to your Facebook page so family and friends can follow your tour!).

The Minnesota State Fair History Walk & Cell Phone Tour offers a fun and engaging way to learn about State Fair history and explore all corners of the grounds. When you complete the self-guided tour, you receive a prize (I won’t say what it is!) at the J.V. Bailey House or (before 8pm) at the Minnesota Historical Society’s booth on the first floor of the Grandstand. Tour brochures are available at information booths and the 13 tour stops. The tour is presented by the Minnesota State Fair Foundation and the Minnesota Historical Society.

Our Minnesota State Fair post wouldn’t be complete without the annual foods on-a-stick list. Here’s the lineup for 2011 (the Sweet Corn Ice Cream really hits the spot). If you are looking for the location of specific foods at the Fair, here’s a link to their FoodFinder with a map of the Fair (0r use the Smartphone app I wrote about above!). The Minnesota State Fair runs through Monday, September 5th. And if you happen to eat just a little too much, feel free to visit the brand new 5,500 square foot restroom with 51 sinks and 75 shiny white toilets where many of the 22,000 rolls of toilet paper are used up at the Minnesota State Fair. Above all else, ENJOY!

Alligator Sausage on-a-stick

Baby Potatoes on-a-stick

Bacon (Fried) on-a-stick

Bananas (chocolate covered) on-a-stick

Beef Kabobs on-a-stick

Bologna (deep-fried) on-a-stick

Bomb Pops on-a-stick

Breakfast Lollipop

Butterscotch Cake on-a-stick

Candy Apples on-a-stick

Candy Bars (deep fried) on-a-stick

Caramel Apples on-a-stick

Caramel Apple Puppies on-a-stick

Catfish on-a-stick

Cheese on-a-stick

Cheesecake (chocolate covered) on-a-stick

Chicken on-a-stick

Chicken Teriyaki on-a-stick

Chicken Bites on-a-stick

Coffee (frozen) on-a-stick

Corndogs on-a-stick

Cotton Candy on-a-stick

Custard on-a-stick

Espresso (frozen) on-a-stick

Fruit (fresh) on-a-stick

Fruit (fried) on-a-stick

Fry Dog on-a-stick

Fudge Puppies on-a-stick

Gyro on-a-stick

Hot Dago on-a-stick

Hot Dish on-a-stick

Hot Dogs (wrap) on-a-stick

Jerk Chicken on-a-stick

Key Lime Pie Dipped in Chocolate (frozen) on-a-stick

Kufta Kabob on-a-stick

Lamb (leg of) on-a-stick

Macaroni & Cheese on-a-stick

Marshmallows (Chocolate-dipped) on-a-stick

Mashed Potatoes (deep-fried) on-a-stick

Meatballs (porcupine wild rice & ground pork) on-a-stick

Meatballs (Greek) on-a-stick

Meatballs (Scotch) on-a-stick

Meat Kabobs on-a-stick

Northwoods Salad on-a-stick

Nut Roll (chocolate-dipped) on-a-stick

Pickles on-a-stick

Pizza on-a-stick

Pizza Kabob on-a-stick

Poncho Dogs on-a-stick

Pork Chops on-a-stick

Pretzel Dog on-a-stick

Pronto Pups on-a-stick

Sausage on-a-stick

Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers on-a-stick

Scotch Eggs on-a-stick

Shrimp on-a-stick

Shrimp (grilled) on-a-stick

S’mores on-a-stick

S’mores (deep-fried) on-a-stick

Spaghetti & Meatballs on-a-stick

Spudsters on-a-stick

Steak on-a-stick

Taffy Pops on-a-stick

Tater Tots (deep-fried) on-a-stick

Texas Steak Dinner on-a-stick

Texas Tater Dog on-a-stick

Tornado Potato on-a-stick

Turkey Tenderloin (bacon-wrapped) on-a-stick

Turtle Puppies on-a-stick

Vegie Fries on-a-stick

Vegetable Kabobs on-a-stick

Waffle (Belgian) on-a-stick

Walleye on-a-stick

Wild Rice Corndog on-a-stick

Wonder Bar (chocolate-dipped ice cream) on-a-stick

Total Number of Foods-On-A-Stick: 75*

New Minnesota State Fair Foods In 2011(including *6 new foods on-a-stick not on list above)

• Breakfast Lollipop (sausage patty dipped in corn muffin batter, deep fried and served on-a-stick with a side of maple syrup)
@Axel’s, located on the southeast outside corner of the Food Building• Carnitas Asian Fusion Taco (pork carnitas served on a flour or spinach pepper, and topped with Asian sauces)
@San Felipe Tacos, located in the Food Building• Chocolate Covered Jalapeno Peppers on-a-stick (a hot and spicy confection)
@Andre’s Watermelon, located on Underwood Street next to Ye Old Mill• Coushari Rice with Lentils (rice and lentils with Holy Land sauce, served with a side of pasta or fried onions)
@Holy Land Deli, located inside the International Bazaar, southeast corner• Crab Fritters (crab meat, Caribbean herbs and spices with veggies all rolled and deep-fried into a fritter, served with a side of southwest dripping sauce)
@Ollie’s Crab Fritters, located on the corner of Underwood Street and Murphy Avenue• Deep-Fried Cookie Dough (fresh cookie dough coated with a sweet batter, deep-fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar)
@Sonny’s Spiral Spuds, located in the Food Building• Dirt Dessert (Oreo cookies, vanilla pudding, whipped cream, cream cheese and gummy worms)
@Spaghetti Eddie’s, located on Cooper Street and Dan Patch Avenue• Fresh Fruit Wrap (sliced fresh fruit wrapped in a soft tortilla shell with a sweet and creamy cheese spread)
@Fried Fruit, located in Carousel Park east of Grandstand Ramp• Grilled Yankee Apple Pie & Chocolate Sandwich (Minnesota grown apples sauteed with spices and topped with chocolate, grilled in Brioche bread)
@Moe & Joe’s, located on Judson Ave. by the CHS Miracle of Birth Center• Jamaican Jerk Fries (french fries dusted with Harry’s own Jamaican Jerk seasoning)
@Harry Singh’s Caribbean Restaurant, located in the Food Building• Mexican Horchata Beverage (cold drink made of rice, almonds, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar)
@El Sol Mexican Food, located on the southwest outside corner of the Food Building• Minneapple Pie (homemade deep-fried apple pie served hot with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream)
@The Original Minneapple Pie, at the corner of Judson Avenue & Underwood Street, north of the Dairy Building• Northwoods Salad on-a-stick (a caprese salad-mozzarella cheese and grape tomatoes on-a-stick with dressing and served over a bed of Minnesota wild rice)
@Giggle’s Campfire Grill, located on Cooper Street and Lee Avenue in The North Woods• Pizza Kabob on-a-stick (three individually flavored Green Mill Pizza rolls served on-a-stick)
@Green Mill, located near the Baldwin Park Stage• Pretzel Dog on-a-stick (a hot dog baked in pretzel dough, served on-a-stick)
@Der Pretzel Haus, located on Liggett Street, in front of the Horse Barn• Sweet Corn Ice Cream (cream-based ice cream with blended sweet corn kernels, served in a waffle cone with a choice of wild blueberries or caramel bacon topping)
@Blue Moon Dine In Theater, located at the corner of Chambers Street and Carnes Avenue• Teriyaki Chicken on-a-stick (served with fried rice, egg rolls, and spring rolls)
@Chan’s Concessions, located on Judson Avenue near the Dairy Building• White Razzie Puppies on-a-stick (Belgian waffle with white chocolate baked inside, then dipped in dark chocolate and drizzled with raspberry sauce)
@Granny’s Kitchen Fudge Puppies, located on the outside west wall of the Food Building

As always, you take us there! I have been waiting for this post for a year! I like that you & Liz attended & then posted! 11 hour day, wow! It looked like you had perfect weather & how great that the app for your phone was available! I’m so glad that you had a great time! Thank-you for sharing what must be an awesome interactive fair! Hugs from afar…D

diddy, wish you all were closer so we could go to the MN State Fair together. I was just telling Liz tonight how nice it would be if I could drive 6 or 7 hours and be home (rather than a whole day of flying and trips to the airport). Or maybe I could just twinkle my nose. I really appreciate you stopping by red Ravine today for the annual State Fair post. We did have a great time. Liz just has a nose for mapping out our day. She makes it fun. Even though the crowds were so thick last Saturday, it was hard not to knock elbows with someone when you were walking around. One thing I liked about taking the MN State Fair History Walking Tour was that it skirted the edges of the crowds. It was calm and peaceful over by the J. V. Bailey house and along the edges of the route. Gave this introvert a break! Come to Minnesota some day! We’ll show you a good time.

Fun MN State Fair History Fact (I didn’t know until I read it just now):

The St. Paul Winter Carnival Medallion was found underneath 8 inches of ice on the MN State Fairgrounds in 1967! It’s the only time the medallion has been hidden on the fairgrounds in its 55-year history.

Yumm! I’m glad I read your post during my lunch break, otherwise I would have been drooling on my keyboard and the County does not approve ot that particular procedure. Of course, my lunch today was very “ho-hum” compared to the “Fair fare-on-a-stick” choices! Did you try some of the new ones? Now that you have 75 to choose from, have you some faves?
Tell you what I’m going to make for Tony’s B’day treat; “Paddington’s Peanut Pie.” (That bear from deepest dark Peru that landed in London’s Paddington RR Station.) If one likes Reeses peanut bars, you’ll love this. It consists of a mix of graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, peanut butter and butter all whipped together, with a topping of melted chocolate chips. The “boys,” Tony, Daniel & Jay love it!

oliverowl, Happy Birthday to Tony! Was his birthday yesterday? Your Paddington’s Peanut PIe sounds delicious. I read it to Liz and she said, “Hmmmm! Can we put it on a stick and sell it at a Fair stand?” I think Paddington’s friends Lily, Hope, and Faith would also like your treat!

As for which foods on-a-stick I tried, my stomach could not hold as much this year as I had eaten in the past. The only new thing we ended up trying was the teriyaki on-a-stick at Chan’s (in terms of on-a-stick food).

I heard the deep-fried cookie dough was good, too. Here’s what I ate at the MN State Fair a week ago today: sweet corn ice cream, 1 Pronto Pup, 2 Poncho corn dogs, 2 snow cones (orange & cherry), Chan’s teriyaki chicken on-a-stick with fried rice, noodles, and egg roll, The Original Minneapple Pie with cinnamon ice cream, shared some garlic fries, and, of course, lots to drink. Most of what we tried were new items but we were so were stuffed that we didn’t have room to try more new foods on-a-stick!

I did do a more detailed comparison between the Pronto Pup and the Poncho Dog. The Pronto pup has wheat flour in the batter. The Poncho Dog is all corn. I am from the South and tend to like the corn batter better! But a lot of Minnesotans like the Pronto Pup with flour!

QM, love this post and how the items on a stick keep growing. It is on my bucket list to come to the fair and eat every item on a stick…well, at least taste every item on a stick. And live to tell about it. May favorites off the list are Caramel Apple Puppies on a Stick and Macaroni and Cheese on a Stick and Gyro on a Stick. Thanks for the post. I too look forward to it every year.

Bob, I hope you can come up our way some Summer and go the MN State Fair with us. You’d have a blast. And it’s fun to go with other people because you can share food and that way get to taste more kinds of foods. One of my fave food on-a-stick YouTube videos is the one I posted a few years ago:

Hey QM. I may need to add “MN State Fair with QM and Liz and eat anything-on-a-stick” to my bucket list, as well. The post is chock full of magic. A MN State Fair app was brilliant! With as much time as you’ve spent, you could have written that app. (Or our other MN friend, the State Fair Queen herself, and I’m not talking about Princess Kay.) And a cell phone tour to boot??! This fair has gone high-tech!

ybonesy, you will definitely need to come up to Minnesota and visit us for our annual trip to the MN State Fair. Your girls would like it, too. Kids seem to love it. The MN State Fair app was brilliant and we used it all day long the day we were at the Fair. The history tour using a Smartphone scanner app and our Droids was really fun, too. You almost have to do at least two days at the Fair to see all the history, architecture, art, and still have time to try all the new foods!

Our mutual friend, the MN State Fair Queen, has finally finished her 12 days of the Fair. I think she’s there this week, then things wind down. I don’t know how she does it! I heard that last Saturday set a new record for attendance. I can’t imagine it being any more crowded than it was the day I was there over a week ago. I like going when it’s fresh. Let us know when you and Jim and the girls want to fly North for Fair magic!

From our Fair friend, the date has been set: Mark your calendar: 2012 Minnesota State Fair: August 23rd – September 3rd. I wanted to come back and mention two books that Liz checked out from the library this year that contain all things Fair and Fair history (I had never heard that the coochie dancers used to be prime attractions at Fairs across the country, like Gypsy Rose Lee). Lots of old photographs and postcards. A fun ride through the past. Check them out before the Fair next year:

The American State Fair by Derek NelsonMinnesota State Fair — An Illustrated History by Kathryn Strand & Linda Koutsky

I can’t believe a whole year has gone by since my last annual Minnesota State Fair On-A-Stick piece. I’d better get going on this. The MN State Fair 2012 starts tomorrow morning! My friend Teri has called with a few Fun Fair Facts. I didn’t know the answers to any of them. Liz did a lot better with that!